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State Departments of Agriculture STATE DEPARTMENTS OF AGRICULTURE GEORGE H. GOLDSBOROUGH STATE departments of agriculture CONSUMER PROTECTION regulatory ac- have a wide variety of programs tivities by State departments of agri- to protect food from deterioration as culture include: it moves through marketing channels • Inspection of raw commodities—red from farmer to consumer, and to meat, poultry, eggs, fruits and vege- assure consumers of wholesome food. tables, dairy products, and seafood ; Regulatory activities aim primarily • Inspection of food handling estab- at consumer protection and deal most- lishments which process, store, and ly with food products moving within a distribute foods, and of eating and State. Consumer protection programs drinking establishments; and operated in cooperation with either • Inspection for food additives, pesti- the U.S. Department of Agriculture cides, and animal feed medication. (USDA) or the Food and Drug Admin- In many States, departments of istration of the Department of Health, health administer consumer protec- Education, and Welfare (HEW) may tion work. In others this is handled by also cover products moving interstate. such agencies as the Consumer Pro- Information and service programs tection Department, Livestock Sani- covering food grading, standardiza- tary Board, State Chemical Labora- tion, certification, and quality control tories, State Egg Board, Agricultural may include products moving both Experiment Station, or Laboratory between States and within States. Department. Agriculture departments Grading programs are generally handle raw product inspection and conducted with USDA's Consumer food processing establishment inspec- and Marketing Service and uniform tion. Eating and drinking establish- Federal grades are employed. If the ments are most often the responsibility State alone is involved, the grades are of health departments. frequently patterned after existing or * * * recommended USD A grades. In some George H. Goldsborough is Director of cases, grading is mandatory by State Matching Fund Programs, Consumer and law or regulation. Marketing Service. 329 State Agencies Administering Consumer Food Protection Activities Interest code—other agency: (i) Fluid milk. (6) Poultry. (2) Dairy products. (7) Eggs. (3) Meat. (8) Fruits and vegetables. (4) Fish. (9) Other foods. (5) Shellfish. (10) Eating and drinking places. Foods and associated processing and distribution Interests of State Principal agency Other agency other agency Alabama Agriculture Health i, 3, 10 Alaska Health Agriculture 3,8 Arizona Health Dairy Commission 2 Livestock Sanitary Board. 2, 3 Agriculture and Horticul- 8 ture Commission. Egg Inspector 7 Arkansas Health Plant Board 8 California.. Health Agriculture i> 2, 3, 6, 7, 8,9 Colorado Health Agriculture. - 2, 6, 7, 8, 9 Connecticut Consumer Protec- Agriculture i, 8, 9 tion. Health 5 Delaware Health Agriculture 2, 6, 7, 8, 9 Florida Agriculture Health i» 5, 10 Hotel and Restaurant Com- 10 mission. Georgia Agriculture Health i, 5, 10 Hawaii Health Agriculture 3, 6) 8 Idaho Health Agritulture i» 2, 3, 6, 7, 8,9 Illinois Agriculture Health 1,10 Indiana Health University 6, 7, 8 Iowa Agriculture Health (*) Kansas Health Agriculture 2, 7, 8 Health and Restaurant 9, 10 Board. Kentucky Health Agriculture 7 Louisiana Health Agriculture 6,8, 9 Maine Agriculture. Health 10 Sea and Shore Fisheries 5 Maryland Health Agriculture 2,7 Massachusetts Health Agriculture i, 6, 7, 8 Michigan Agriculture Health i Minnesota Agriculture Health 10 Mississippi Health Agriculture 2, 3, 7, 8 Missouri Health Agriculture 2, 7, 9 Montana Health Livestock Sanitary Board.. 2, 6 Agriculture 2, 3, 7, 8, 9 Nebraska Agriculture Health (*) Nevada Health Agriculture 7, 9 New Hampshire Health Agriculture 6, 7, 8, 9 New Jersey Health Agriculture 6, 7, 8 New Mexico Health Agriculture i, 7, 8, 9 New York Agriculture Health 1,10 North Carolina Agriculture Health 10 North Dakota Laboratories Com- Agriculture i, 2, 9 mission. Health i, 9, i o Livestock Sanitary Board. 3 Ohio Agriculture Health 10 Oklahoma Health Agriculture 2, 3, 7, 9 Oregon Agriculture Health 10 Pennsylvania Agriculture Health 10 Rhode Island Health Agriculture 7, 8 *No information available on specific interests. 330 Foods and associated processing and distribution Interests of State Principal agency Other agency other agency South Carolina Agriculture Health 2, 9, i o South Dakota Agriculture Health 10 Tennessee Agriculture Health, Conservation, and 10 Commerce. Texas Health Agriculture 8 Utah Agriculture Health 10 Vermont Health Agriculture i, 7, 8, 9 Virginia Agriculture Health i, 2, 4, 5, 10 Washington Agriculture Health i, 4, 5, 10 West Virginia Agriculture Health i, 9, 10 Wisconsin Agriculture Health 1,10 Wyoming Agriculture Health 10 Exclusive of any payments to the cant developments in the businesses local governments in support of com- that they review. This information panion programs performed by coun- may then be pieced together to pin- ties and municipalities, the State pro- point the needs, identify trends, de- grams for consumer protection during velop priorities, and adjust programs. the 1964 fiscal year that ended June 3O5 1964, cost $7.6 million for meat THE STATES have enacted hundreds of and poultry inspection, plus $6.3 laws for consumer protection. These million for dairy products inspection, laws fall roughly into two categories. and some $2 million for supervision of First there are statutes similar in many eating and drinking establishments. ways to Federal laws covering meat, Expenditures have risen rapidly in milk, food service establishments, feeds, the I o years from 1954 to 1964, rang- and pesticides. ing from an increase of about 70 per- These statutes and the resulting cent for dairy products to 93 percent State programs have been influenced for meats, 133 percent for feeds, and by the Federal laws and by the recom- 159 percent for pesticides. mended codes of Federal agencies like USDA and HEW. OVER 4,000 man-years were devoted The second group of laws gives in fiscal year 1964 to consumer pro- special recognition to problems or in- tection activities related to food. Some terests within State boundaries. 260 man-years were for administra- Measures for regulating native prod- tion, 3,200 for inspection, and 756 for ucts like maple sirup and establish- laboratory analyses of samples of food ments like frozen food locker plants which is destined for and moving and bakeries are typical. And in some through the marketing system. cases, the State agencies are tied in The inspectors assigned to these pro- with local and municipal groups. grams check on industry adherence to laws, regulations, and agency stand- DAIRY PRODUCTS inspection is a key part ards where products are produced, of State consumer protection work. processed, stored, ofí'ered for sale, or Inspectors check dairy farms, receiv- prepared for immediate consumption. ing stations—including bulk milk tank These inspectors collect samples of trucks—processing and pasteurization products for field examination or for plants, delivery trucks, and occasion- later laboratory analysis. ally retail stores and food service In addition, the inspectors explain establishments. requirements to regulated establish- Products which are inspected in- ments and give technical support. clude milk, butter, cheese, and ice The inspectors also gather informa- cream, as well as soft-serve dairy items. tion on production, control, and dis- On the farm, inspectors see if cows tribution of products and any signifi- have been tested for disease and 331 whether the milk handling sanitation inspectors working under their super- meets the requirements. vision. The principal emphasis is In the processing plant the methods put on wholesomeness of the meat at used are checked and products ana- the time of slaughter. After the meat lyzed for butterfat content, total solids, enters the channels of commerce it bacteria, presence of foreign substances then becomes subject to spot checks. like pesticide residues, evidence of pasteurization, claimed vitamin con- A 1963 SURVEY by the Intergovern- tent, temperature, and added water. mental Relations Subcommittee of the Labeling practices are also observed. House of Representatives showed that 32 States have laws for poultry proc- TECHNIQUES include both direct in- essing inspection. Seventeen of these spection and sampling for laboratory provide for sanitary inspection only, analysis, with special emphasis on and 15 for wholesomeness inspection grade A pasteurized milk. The pro- of the product. Of the latter, nine grams emphasize sanitation and prod- programs are voluntary and six pro- uct quality. grams are mandatory. In the grade A program, sanitation is Two States—^Maine and North regulated by agency employees con- Dakota—carry out poultry inspection ducting at least the minimum number for wholesomeness in cooperation with of inspections recommended by the the Poultry Division of tîie Consumer Public Health Service of HEW. and Marketing Service and under the These recommendations are often Federal Poultry Products Inspection written into the State laws and State Act. Inspection personnel on the proc- regulations. Furthermore, product essing lines are qualified and licensed quality is assured by sampling. by the Poultry Division, but they are State employees. ABOUT 15 PERCENT of commercially In all States except the two which slaughtered meat and poultry is are cooperating with USDA, the State processed in plants shipping only in inspection system services
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